Balance
by Noirtier
Summary: Hundreds of years in the future, only two villages are left. Peace reins, and shinobi exist only in secret... but things have been quiet for too long.


AN: I don't own Naruto, or any of the characters. Just this wacky, AU plot that's totally... I don't even know.

Pairings: Well, Naruto likes Sakura..

...::...the account...::---

We had done it. Humans had achieved peace. We lived a life of trust, acted selflessly and generously, and cared for all living things.

This tranquil state was established 500 years ago, after the Third Great War. The peoples of the two remaining villages that hadn't been wiped out adopted new attitudes in light of what had happened. Instead of giving in to wretchedness and despair, the survivors of both villages decided they would never descend to violence again, no matter the circumstance. You could say the world reverted to a more primitive state--existing without money, or positions of power, and the like. The attitudes and beliefs they embraced held for 500 years. They flourished and grew in absolute peace. That is, until a year ago. A war, more desperate than any other smeared the blood of 13,000 people over our lands, leaving a handful of survivors standing in hell.

Comprehension was beyond us. What caused this explosion of hatred? Had primal longings for bloodshed and violence been winding up our spines all this time? Is the desire to fight something humans can't ever escape? Or did this spring from a surge of human passion, to fight for survival, for loved ones, for beliefs?

Those of us left don't know or want to think about the cause. A few have committed suicide. I decided to write about the people who didn't survive from both villages, so they won't be forgotten or overlooked in history. I will write a record of what happened, taking all points of view into account, and write to inspire the future, if there is one, never to fight again.

...---:::it begins::

-

-

-

"We should tell everyone as soon as possible. Whatever the consequence is for us, at least we'll be able to warn our village." Kakashi's voice cut calmly from a rock in the corner, upon which he sat placidly. The other shinobi stared briefly at each other, and at him. The waterfall outside the cave thundered, unbroken by a word. Naruto's face twisted.

"Are you kidding? If we tell everyone, they'll never trust us again."

Kakashi stepped down from the rock to walk forward, and raised a pointed finger in the air.

"Naruto, think. It makes sense to be honest. The people in this village are rational, they will understand. The human race has come a long way from spiteful fits of anger."

"Yea, Naruto, Sakura will forgive you."

A sulk slipped over Naruto's face, and he swiveled his head to glare at the kunoichi with long fair hair.

"That's not what I mea-

"The people we love are in danger. If we don't warn them of what's coming, regardless of how we found out, thousands could die. We can't let that happen! Our ancestors fought every day to protect those they cared about. We have to do the same, even if it means revealing what we truly are."

Lee nodded vigorously, and the gathering quieted a little. The waterfall pounded into the pool at it's base, generating a roar like an approaching storm, still far on the horizon.

Asuma's head poked in from the opening of the cave, wet with mist and spray. He shook the water from his hair casually, and opened his mouth to speak.

"As much as Gai makes us sound like some kind of monster, I agree. People's lives are more important than our secret."

Chuckles resonated off the rock walls.

"Shouldn't you be keeping watch, Asuma?" Kakashi winked his uncovered eye in a distinctive smile.

Asuma smirked and disappeared from view, and Kakashi gazed at the faces around him. Those he'd grown up with, and those he was watching grow up. A frown flit over his face, and he spoke suddenly.

"Shall we warn them, then? Raise a hand if you agree."

All hands, save Naruto's, lifted up; instead, he crossed his arms in defiance.

"We should take care of it ourselves."

"It's not our place. The idea is to avoid conflict, and if we talk with everyone, we can think of a plan that won't leave people dead."

"Then why do we exist at all? What's the point, if we're not going to fight to protect people?"

"We exist because our ancestors never really gave up being shinobi; for some reason, they couldn't. I suppose, you could say we're the back up, in case we do need to fight one day--but seeking conflict isn't our purpose."

"The Mist have shinobi too. They're going to want to fight us, you heard what Kakashi-sensei said before. They're planning something, an invasion-- I don't know, none of us know, but we've got to stop it."

"No. That's too preemptive, there's still a chance to maintain the peace."

"Tomorrow morning, we send word around Konoha that we want to hold a meeting, and that everyone possible should attend. Agreed?"

Fifty heads nodded, and fifty blurs flashed out of the cave, and zoomed through the birch trees, heading back to Konoha.

Naruto lingered momentarily, staring at the roaring water with a hint of confusion on his face; before zipping out the entrance after the others.

He careened through the forest from tree to tree, mulling over what was happening. He traveled hastily, impatient to get back. He finally reached the edge of the forest, and after ten minutes walking time, found himself padding the streets of his beloved village. He squinted in the setting sunlight and perceived a small figure with pink hair walking.

"Oi! Sakura!" Naruto trotted after her, and she turned slightly and greeted him as he fell in step next to her.

"What are you doing here, Naruto? Shouldn't you be at Ichiraku? I'm beginning to wonder whether or not you actually work there."

"Ha, of course I do. Someone needs to cook the tastiest ramen, after all."

Sakura smirked, shaking her head. "You're the same."

"Eh?"

"I've known you my whole life--19 years, and you haven't changed."

"Hmmn." Naruto slipped his hands into his pockets, and looked up at the clouds wafting across the rose-stained sky.

"Well I have to get back to the hospital, I'd like to... Naruto? Hey?" Sakura tilted her head sideways and peered at the absent-minded boy, spellbound by the sky. "Drop by the hospital at 8 or something, we can go see the play the Kamizuki family is putting on--

"Eh? Can't tonight, Sakura-chan. I've got stuff to do." Naruto grinned, pausing, and turned to walk down his street.

Sakura stood stock still, baffled. A voice behind her drifted from the door of flower shop.

"Something must be up with him, he would never turn you down. You asked to see if he was listening, am I right?"

"I see you're waiting for Ino. How thoughtful of you."

Shikamaru leaned back against the doorpost, raising his arms behind his head and chuckling.

"Or did you really ask him out this time? I wonder which it is."

Sakura's hand flashed up and poked his forehead sassily; she then turned to watch Naruto's outline melt into the late evening shadows cast by the houses and shops lining the street.

"He must be preoccupied by something. Maybe someone told him his ramen could use improvement." Sakura paused a moment longer before remembering she had somewhere to be. "Well, whatever. Later, Shikamaru."

Sakura strolled along on the curb, wending her way to the hospital.

Naruto, with his hands in his pockets, walked up the path into his house and closed the door behind him. His eyebrows curved down, and his mouth pinched in doubt. His eyes rested on a framed photo of a pack of his friends, squashed and on top of one another so they'd all fit in the picture.

Outside, a slight wave of thunder rumbled off the walls of the village. Rain began falling in spiraling drops, each hitting the pavement with a fatal _ploosh! _

...::::...as summer ends

...:---

Wind stroked the grass of Konoha, vivid green and knee-high, that tickled Sakura's bare legs as she meandered up the hill, looking towards the sky every so often, just to see how beautiful it was. She reached the top of the hill with a final stride up, and sighed in contentment. Suddenly, the grass rustled by her feet and she jumped back; then, peering down, she gingerly inched forward and stared at a Naruto with his eyes shut. She nudged him with a foot and he opened one eye lazily, and when he saw her, it crinkled with his smile.

"Who are you, Shikamaru?" She bent over and plopped herself onto the grass beside him, laying back and stretching like a cat in the sun. "Seriously, why are you out here?"

"I felt like taking it easy today."

Sakura tilted her head and stared hard at his expression, then frowned. "That's not like you. You're always helping someone out, busy with this job or that, building this, cooking at Ichiraku--" she paused and watched a cloud pass over the sun, drifting swiftly on the wind. "... and come to think of it, when was the last time you played a joke on Tsunade or Kakashi?"

"Haha, Sakura-chan's worried about mee," Naruto half sung. He swung his head to face her and grinned impishly.

Her frown fell away and she rolled her eyes at him. "Like I would be." She squirmed around in the grass to get more comfortable, and crossed her arms behind her head, resting it on her hands. The wind had stopped, and the air, completely serene, carried the scent of late-blooming flowers. Sparrows splintered the stillness with songs to one another in the trees.

"What do you think Mist will do?"

His eyebrows dipped down and he turned to her, looking at her ernest face. "You really want to know?"

"Be honest."

"They're going to attack. I don't know when."

"Do you think there's that big of a chance--

"Of people dying? No one's going to die here, no one deserves death." He hoisted himself up onto his elbows, then sat up, and looked down at her.

She scowled. "That goes for Mist as well."

"Hn."

Sakura sat up abruptly. "It's true, Naruto! We're all people, nothing is different about them. Just because they're from a different village--

"I'm not going to let them kill anyone here!"

"Well, just don't be stupid."

"I want peace too, but if it comes down to a fight, then I'll fight. If I can prevent someone from dying by doing so then it's worth it."

"It would be better to resolve all this without blood." She looked up at the quickly clouding sky. "We're waiting on the edge, not sure which way to fall."

They both eased back down into the grass and Sakura kept a slightly disquieted expression on her face. She pulled up a few blades and twisted them into a braid, then tossed it away impatiently.

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"First, you don't have to get so mad at me. I know you work every day to save people's lives. Life is important to you, and I understand that, so don't be mad at me."

"Fine."

"Secondly.."

"What?"

"It looks like rain."

"It's just a few clouds, it'll clear--"

Rain gushed from the sky in fat drops, promptly drenching the two. Sakura burst out laughing and rolled over on her stomach, and pushed herself up.

"My hairr!" Her feet squelched in the ground, rapidly turning to mud as she danced around and threw her arms up and laughed again.

He smirked, slid off his jacket, and chucked it to her.

"Oh, c'mon, like I really care about my hair?" She laughed, holding it over herself primly, as a joke.

"Just take it," he said flippantly, waving his hand. He raised his eyebrows at her and said, "Now didn't I say it looked like rain?"

-----------:::...december, after the winter solstice.

Snow cloaked Konoha in its entirety. Three feet of white covered every inch visible to the eye, and freezing winds swept loose feathery crystals along the surface of the icy snow, almost like a creeping mist. A light flurry began falling again, for the third time that day, softly enveloping the village and it's inhabitants further into white. Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto sat clustered in Sakura's living room, hidden by rather large wool blankets. Sakura pulled hers tighter around her arms, and shivered.

"Damn, why is it so cold?"

"If you think it's bad here, imagine what Mist has to deal with." Shikamaru remarked with a lazy flip of his hand.

Ino and Naruto exchanged a glance.

Sakura caught it with the corner of her eye and shifted uncomfortably.

"I know what you're thinking, but remember we're all aware, after you announced it months ago." She paused. "I'm surprised nothing's happened yet."

"We all are. Of course, we don't want something to happen, anything bad, but I feel like what ever's going on over there, it isn't good. If the Mist comes here fully intending to kill, I don't know how we're going to handle it." Ino stretched her arms out, rubbing a muscle cramp and gazing at the fire, friskily licking the brick enclosing it.

"Our priority is peace, or course. If it's help they need, we should give it. This is a big, prosperous village, with more than enough to sustain itself. They aren't our enemies, even if we hadn't had contact with them for quite a few years. They're human beings."

"Sakura's right," Shikamaru yawned.

"Remember what we told you? What Kakashi heard? That meeting of shinobi in Mist didn't sound like anything other than people who were clearly stirring up trouble. I'm just saying we should be prepared."

Naruto remained silent, staring into space.

"He's been moody lately, this one."

Sakura gave Naruto a jab with her finger. He startled, shook his messy yellow hair and yawned widely.

The fire spit biting sparks and a thump sounded as a log split down the middle, crumpling to the bottom of the grate, broken and black.

...::...mist...

--- 

Kurenai slapped her hand on the table where Jaraiya sat, unruffled. "We can't live like this! Five hundred people have died this month. Food is low, and our houses are deteriorating before our eyes. We need to do something." She eyed him skeptically, and grabbed the edge of the table. "We need to contact Konoha."

He snorted, taking another drink. "Baah! Those bastards haven't bothered to send us so much as a note for the past 20 years. In addition, who wants to ask the village that's spying on us for help? There's no chance in hell they'd help us now."

A voice cut from the back of the room. "Jaraiya, you know as I do, our people cannot live here. The land is overworked. The winters devastate us beyond repair. A step needs to be taken."

"Zabuza." Jaraiya said roughly, clinking his cup on the table and turning to face the man, lurking in the corner with a dirty smirk on his face. He narrowed his eyes in a bitter glare, staring at the lanky man's grey face. "I hope," he rumbled, "your friends have not taken this plan upon themselves to complete. The last thing we want is to start is trouble. Don't think I'm naive. I know who you associate with, and even if you aren't one of them, you agree with what they're planning."

Zabuza smiled mockingly. "You're too proud, Jaraiya. You refuse to run back to your old village for help, and so, like sniveling obedient brats, the rest of the village agrees with you, and tries to stick it out. Well, people are starting to realize it's not possible. They're getting desperate. They want to _survive._"

Kurenai swallowed nervously and sat down again, glancing at the old hermit's worn face.

"Mist has never had _good_ relations with Konoha, right? We've just stayed out of each other's way for the past few centuries. Now that we have to swallow our pride and run back to Konoha for help, a lot of people don't want to do it. They'd rather attack the village."

"Pride? Survival?" Zabuza spat, pushing himself up from his barrel in the corner and striding forward. "Which is more important? Or is it deeper than that?"

Jaraiya grimaced, momentarily shutting his eyes. His fingers closed tightly around the glass, knuckles showing white and his shoulders tensing. "Don't you think I would've gone back already if I had thought it was safe? Our villages don't speak for years, and then they send Shinobi to spy on us... they're not stupid. They know this land harsh, if they wanted to send help they would've already... It doesn't fit together. Something doesn't feel right. I feel like walking over for help is walking in to a trap."

"So you think they're planning something, then?"

"I'm afraid to think. I'd rather ignore it for now, and keep to ourselves. Anyone we send over might be taken for an attack, and then we have a war with Konoha to worry about. Right now our village has to focus on survival, and somehow be self-sufficient."

The door creaked open, helped by the driving winds. Snow blew into the frigid room, and a slender young man stepped inside.

"You say that so easily, yet so many people are dying."

"Haku." Jairaya swiveled on his stool to face the young boy standing silently, dripping wet and convulsing from cold.

"Perhaps you find it easier to ignore the problems of this village because you do not feel any of them. No one close to you has suffered." Haku stepped tentatively towards the stool where Jaraiya sat, raising his chin, and keeping an even, apathetic face, stared into his eyes. "No one close to you has died."

The hermit scoffed and turned back around, resting both elbows on the splintered wooden surface.

"A group of us are going to Konoha for help."

"What?" Jaraiya's face contorted into a frown, and he turned fully around again and slid off the stool, stepping towards the boy.

"About fifty of us." Haku kept his face in a solemn.

"You won't get past the gate."

"We'll see."

...----- :::...----

AN: Confused? If you are, tell me why.

"Float in the clouds, little bird, and dream of what's under the waves."


End file.
